U.S. Federal Transit Administration (FTA)
Charlotte Area Transit Services (CATS)
City of Charlotte

Overview:

The Charlotte Area Transit System (CATS) was awarded $20,766,306 of American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 – Transit Capital Assistance Urbanized Program funds for the Renovation and Expansion of the CATS North Davidson Facility.

CATS provides fixed route and demand response transit service. Fixed route service is provided through the Bus Operations Division (BOD) and the demand response service is provided through the Special Transportation Service (STS). STS provides transportation to individuals with disabilities certified as eligible based on the Americans with Disabilities Act guidelines.

BOD maintains and operates its bus fleet from two facilities, one located on South Tryon Street and the other located on North Davidson Street.

The South Tryon Facility was opened in 2005 and can support the daily operations of 250 buses and the centralized functions (body repair, paint, and warehousing) for the entire bus fleet. The North Davidson Facility was constructed in 1980 – 1981 to support a fleet of up to 200 transit buses. The building and its systems need to be upgraded and modernized to meet the standards set by the South Tryon Facility and to provide enhanced energy efficiency.

STS currently operates its fleet of 83 body-on-chassis vehicles from leased facilities located at 545 Spratt Street. All STS vehicles are currently maintained by the City of Charlotte Equipment Services Department in a separate facility.

CATS plans to renovate the North Davidson Facility to provide adequate space and an appropriate environment to support operations and maintenance of up to 200 transit buses. In addition, CATS plans to develop a new administration, operations, and maintenance facility for STS on the same campus with the North Davidson Facility.

The North Davidson Street Facility includes a two-story (plus basement) administration/operations building (14,268 square feet), a three-level (including mezzanine) maintenance building (62,116 square feet) and a fuel and wash facility (11,488 square feet). The bus facility was designed to service a fleet of up to 200 buses. At present, CATS' 2030 Plan anticipates a fleet of 463 buses. As a result of the expanding bus fleet needed to serve the region's on-going growth in population and employment, a South Tryon Street Facility was constructed in 2005 to accommodate additional buses and the means to service those vehicles. The bus facility on South Tryon Street houses the administrative activities, a bus maintenance facility, paint and body shop, wash and fuel building, surface parking for 250 buses, visitor parking, and a parking garage with approximately 300 employee spaces.

The renovation and expansion of the North Davidson Street Facility would improve its operation as part of CATS bus maintenance activities, allowing it to service up to its capacity of 200 buses as the fleet expands. The renovation would also address deteriorating facility conditions, upgrade mechanical, electrical, and plumbing systems, and replace original bus maintenance equipment. The proposed project would include not only renovations to existing buildings but also the construction of a new, multi-level staff parking garage. Finally, plans include relocating CATS’ STS to the North Davidson Street site which would improve the operation and maintenance of the STS fleet.

Eligibility:

The project priorities have been identified as three construction packages:
Contract A – Maintenance Building Renovation
Contract B – Administration Building Renovation
Contract C – New Staff Parking Deck.

Local Funding Availability:

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Contact Information:

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Amounts Obligated:

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Job Creation/Retention:

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Project Completion Status:

A total of nine bids were received for Contract A in August 2009. City Council approved contract award to the apparent lowest bidder in September 2009 with construction to begin in October 2009.

The design of Contract B and Contract C is complete. A design package is under development for technology upgrades. Technology upgrades will focus on communication infrastructure including structured cabling, access control and security equipment. The technology design package will utilize conduits provided by contracts A, B and C in order to establish a communication network between buildings. This network will interface the North Davidson Street facility with CATS' communication system.

Demolition for Contract A (Maintenance Building Renovation) is in progress. Existing slabs and repair pits in the maintenance shop have been removed. Existing underground tanks have been removed. Environmental coordination is being finalized with the North Carolina Department of Environment and Natural Resources (NCDENR).